British Airways Assessment Tests

British Airways Situational Judgement Test

1. Question 1 of 10

   You are a cabin crew member. At the end of a three-day trip you are told that the trip has been extended by a day because of disruption elsewhere in the network. You had plans for tomorrow that you will now have to cancel. The rest of the crew are in the same position and the next sector boards in forty minutes. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Accept the extra day without asking anything, cancel your plans and get ready for the next sector, since disruption is part of the job and there is no point in making a fuss about it.
   2. Work the extra day as rostered, but tell the rest of the crew through the day how unreasonably you think the extension has been handled by the company.
   3. Tell crewing that you cannot do the extra day because you have commitments at home tomorrow, and ask them to find somebody else to cover the sector.
   4. Ask crewing what the extension means for your roster and what options you have, then work the sector while they come back to you on it.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Ask crewing what the extension means for your roster and what options you have, then work the sector while they come back to you on it.

   Least effective: B. Work the extra day as rostered, but tell the rest of the crew through the day how unreasonably you think the extension has been handled by the company.

   A: Absorbs it without checking: there may be an allowance, a swap or a later report time available, and none of them can be offered to somebody who never asks.

   B: Spreads the grievance through the crew: the day still gets worked, and four other people who are also giving up plans have to carry your mood through the cabin as well as their own.

   C: Declines before asking what is possible: with forty minutes to boarding, a refusal is the one answer that leaves the company no room, and nothing has been established about what the roster allows.

   The most effective response is to ask crewing what the extension means for your roster and what options you have, then work the sector while they come back: it has to be worked whatever the answer, and asking is the only way to find out whether anything can be done about tomorrow. It beats accepting the extra day without asking anything and cancelling your plans, because accepting silently means nothing is offered, even where something is available. It beats telling crewing you cannot do the extra day and asking them to find cover, because refusing forty minutes before boarding closes off every alternative that a question would have opened. The least effective response is working the day while telling the rest of the crew how unreasonably it has been handled: the work gets done and four colleagues giving up the same day have to carry your commentary through the trip. That is worse than accepting quietly, which is stoical, and worse than refusing, which at least raises it with the people who could change it. The principle: ask what your options are, keep working while you wait for the answer, and do not make your colleagues carry the disappointment.

2. Question 2 of 10

   You are a turnaround coordinator. The cleaning team have told you they will finish about fifteen minutes later than planned, which means boarding cannot start on time. The gate agent is due to open the gate in five minutes and does not know. The cabin crew are already on board, and a colleague from another stand has just asked you out of interest how the turnaround is going. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Say nothing for now and let the gate open on time, since the passengers will be walking down the airbridge while the cleaners are finishing and the two may well overlap.
   2. Wait until the cleaning supervisor gives you an exact finishing time, so that when you do tell the gate agent she can be given a firm minute to work to.
   3. Tell the gate agent now that boarding will be about fifteen minutes late, so that she can hold the gate and make an announcement before anybody queues.
   4. Tell the cabin crew first, since they are already on board and will want to know that the cleaners are running behind and boarding will be later than planned.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Tell the gate agent now that boarding will be about fifteen minutes late, so that she can hold the gate and make an announcement before anybody queues.

   Least effective: A. Say nothing for now and let the gate open on time, since the passengers will be walking down the airbridge while the cleaners are finishing and the two may well overlap.

   A: Lets a queue build on a known problem: passengers end up standing in the airbridge because the one person who could have held the gate was not told by the one person who knew.

   B: Delays the decision: she opens the gate in five minutes, and an exact time that arrives after she has started boarding is worth less than a rough one that arrives before.

   D: Tells the people who are not about to act: the crew can do nothing with fifteen minutes' notice, while the gate agent is five minutes from opening a gate she should be holding.

   The most effective response is to tell the gate agent now that boarding will be about fifteen minutes late, so she can hold the gate and announce it before anybody queues: she is the only person in the scenario about to do something the delay changes, and she has five minutes in which knowing is still useful. It beats waiting until the cleaning supervisor gives you an exact finishing time, because an approximate figure now is worth more than an exact one after boarding has started. It beats telling the cabin crew first because they are already on board, since they cannot act on the news, so that spends the window on the wrong audience. The least effective response is saying nothing and letting the gate open on time: it lets a queue form in the airbridge over a problem you already knew about, and the people who could have prevented it were not told. That is worse than the other two, which pass the information on imperfectly rather than withholding it. The principle: tell the person who is about to act first, and tell them in time to act differently.

3. Question 3 of 10

   You are a crewing assistant. Tomorrow’s roster takes about two hours to build and has to be published tonight. Every ten minutes or so a crew member telephones with a short query, and each interruption means going back over what you were doing. At this rate the roster will not be finished in time, and the queries themselves are all straightforward. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Keep taking the calls as they come and publish the roster at the deadline in whatever state it has reached, without mentioning that it was built between interruptions.
   2. Carry on answering every call as it arrives and accept that the roster will be published late, since crew who telephone deserve an answer when they ring.
   3. Tell the desk you are unavailable for the next hour and will answer queries after that, put the calls to the shared line, and finish the roster.
   4. Stop picking up the telephone for the rest of the evening so you can concentrate, and deal with whatever messages have built up once the roster has been published.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Tell the desk you are unavailable for the next hour and will answer queries after that, put the calls to the shared line, and finish the roster.

   Least effective: A. Keep taking the calls as they come and publish the roster at the deadline in whatever state it has reached, without mentioning that it was built between interruptions.

   A: Publishes work you have reason to doubt: crew plan their day around a roster built in ten-minute fragments, and nobody reading it knows to look twice at it.

   B: Lets the interruptions set the order: a dozen short queries that could wait an hour take priority over the document all of those crew need tonight.

   D: Goes quiet without telling anybody: crew ring a desk that simply does not answer, and the people covering the shared line have no idea they are covering.

   The most effective response is to tell the desk you are unavailable for the next hour, put the calls to the shared line, and finish the roster: it is what every one of those crew members actually needs tonight, an hour of clear time finishes it, and announcing the arrangement means the calls still land somewhere. It beats stopping picking up the telephone for the rest of the evening to concentrate, because going silent without telling anyone leaves crew ringing an unanswered desk and colleagues covering without knowing. It beats answering every call as it arrives and accepting a late roster, because a dozen queries that could wait an hour are allowed to delay the document all of them depend on. The least effective response is publishing at the deadline in whatever state it has reached without mentioning how it was built: it hands out a roster the author knows was assembled in fragments, so nobody knows to check it. That is worse than the other two, which both produce a roster somebody concentrated on. The principle: protect a block of time for the work everyone is waiting on, and tell people where their queries should go meanwhile.

4. Question 4 of 10

   You are a ticket desk agent. Your supervisor and a passenger are arguing across the next desk about whether her fare allows a change to a later flight. He has told her twice that it does not; she is insisting that it does and is not backing down. You looked at the same fare condition last week and you believe she is right. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Tell the passenger, while your supervisor is still standing at the desk, that she is right about her fare and that the refusal she has been given is simply wrong.
   2. Stay out of it and raise the fare condition with your supervisor once the passenger has gone, so that the next person in her position is given the right answer.
   3. Ask your supervisor to check one thing with you away from the desk, show him the fare condition on the screen, and let him go back to her with the answer.
   4. Tell the passenger that the decision has been made, and explain how she can put a complaint in writing to the airline about the way her fare was read at the desk.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Ask your supervisor to check one thing with you away from the desk, show him the fare condition on the screen, and let him go back to her with the answer.

   Least effective: A. Tell the passenger, while your supervisor is still standing at the desk, that she is right about her fare and that the refusal she has been given is simply wrong.

   A: Overturns your supervisor in front of the customer: he must either climb down publicly or dig in harder, and the argument he is having gets worse rather than shorter.

   B: Leaves the argument running: it protects him and costs her a change she is probably entitled to, and putting it right next week does not bring her back to the desk.

   D: Hands the disagreement to the customer: she is sent away to argue the airline's own fare rules with the airline, when the answer is on a screen two feet from where she is standing.

   The most effective response is to ask your supervisor to check one thing with you away from the desk, show him the fare condition on the screen, and let him go back to her: the question is a matter of record rather than opinion, checking takes a moment, and doing it away from the desk lets him change his mind without an audience. It beats staying out of it and raising the fare condition once she has gone, because she leaves without something she is probably entitled to, and a correction next week does not reach her. It beats telling her the decision is made and explaining how to complain in writing, because that makes her fight for a rule that could be read out to her now. The least effective response is telling her at the desk, in front of him, that the refusal is simply wrong: he must then climb down publicly or refuse harder, and the argument gets worse either way. That is worse than the other two, which both keep the disagreement inside the airline. The principle: when you think somebody senior has it wrong, check the record and put it to them privately, quickly enough that the customer still benefits.

5. Question 5 of 10

   You are a turnaround coordinator. You have worked out that if check-in sent the bag count ten minutes earlier, the ramp could load in one pass instead of two and save about eight minutes on every turnaround. It would mean check-in changing how they work, and check-in are short-staffed and under pressure already. Nobody has asked you to look at this. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Leave the idea alone, since check-in are stretched as it is and will almost certainly say no to anything that asks them to change how they work.
   2. Change the way the ramp loads to suit the earlier count and see whether check-in adjust to it once they notice the loading has started happening differently.
   3. Take the timings to check-in, acknowledge what the earlier count would cost them, and ask whether it could be tried on one route to see what it actually saves.
   4. Put the suggestion into the staff improvement scheme with the figures, so that it is looked at properly by whoever reviews the process across the station.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Take the timings to check-in, acknowledge what the earlier count would cost them, and ask whether it could be tried on one route to see what it actually saves.

   Least effective: A. Leave the idea alone, since check-in are stretched as it is and will almost certainly say no to anything that asks them to change how they work.

   A: Decides their answer for them: a change worth eight minutes a turnaround is dropped without check-in ever hearing it, on a guess about what they would have said.

   B: Changes one half and waits: the ramp works to a count that is not coming any earlier, so the saving does not appear and check-in are left to work out why loading has altered.

   D: Hands it to a process and nobody: the scheme may reach it in months, and the two teams who would have to make it work never discuss it between themselves.

   The most effective response is to take the timings to check-in, acknowledge what the earlier count would cost them, and ask whether it could be tried on one route: they are the people it costs, saying so up front makes it a proposal rather than a demand, and a trial turns the argument into a measurement. It beats putting the suggestion into the staff improvement scheme with the figures, because that takes months and leaves the two teams who would operate it out of the conversation. It beats changing the way the ramp loads and waiting for check-in to notice, because that produces none of the saving and puzzles them. The least effective response is leaving the idea alone because check-in are stretched and will say no: it assumes their refusal and drops a change worth eight minutes a turnaround without asking. That is worse than changing the ramp, which at least tries something, and worse than the suggestion scheme, which at least puts it on a record. The principle: take the idea to the people it costs, admit the cost, and propose the smallest test that would settle it.

6. Question 6 of 10

   You are a turnaround coordinator. A flight left twenty-five minutes late this morning because your team loaded the wrong container first and had to take it off again. You enter the delay reason yourself, and your manager reads the delay report every afternoon. Nobody has asked you about it, and the cause would not be obvious from the timings alone. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Write the full explanation into the delay comments on the system, where the detail sits alongside the timings for anyone who looks into that flight later in the day.
   2. Go to your manager before the report reaches her, tell her what happened and why, and say what you have changed so the loading order is checked in future.
   3. Record the delay accurately and say nothing further, on the basis that the report speaks for itself and your manager will ask if she wants to know more about it.
   4. Enter the delay against the catering supplier, who were also a few minutes behind this morning, so the flight's record does not carry a loading error against your own team.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Go to your manager before the report reaches her, tell her what happened and why, and say what you have changed so the loading order is checked in future.

   Least effective: D. Enter the delay against the catering supplier, who were also a few minutes behind this morning, so the flight's record does not carry a loading error against your own team.

   A: Relies on the reader going looking: the report shows a code and a number of minutes, and a manager scanning the afternoon's delays may never open the comment that explains it.

   C: Waits to be asked: the figure reaches her without the one piece of context only you hold, so the first conversation is her asking what went wrong rather than you telling her.

   D: Moves the blame onto somebody else's record: the supplier's performance figures now carry a delay they did not cause, and the loading problem that did cause it is invisible to everyone.

   The most effective response is to go to your manager before the report reaches her, tell her what happened and why, and say what you have changed so the loading order is checked in future: the cause is something only your team knows, the report will raise the question anyway, and arriving with the explanation and the fix turns a delay into a change. It beats writing the full explanation into the delay comments on the system, because that depends on somebody opening it, and a manager scanning the afternoon’s figures may not. It beats recording the delay accurately and saying nothing further, because waiting to be asked means the first conversation starts with her wondering what happened. The least effective response is entering the delay against the catering supplier who were also running behind: it codes it against someone who did not cause it, so their record is wrong and the real problem never surfaces. That is falsifying the record rather than communicating it poorly, which is what separates it from the other two. The principle: when only you know the cause, take it to the person who will read the number, before they read it.

7. Question 7 of 10

   You are a ticket desk agent. A student has missed her flight because she went to the wrong terminal. On her fare, a missed departure means the ticket has no value and a new one has to be bought at the price of the day. She has very little money and is close to tears. There are two later flights with seats. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Explain that a missed departure means the ticket is no longer valid and that a new one has to be bought, and leave her to decide what she wants to do about it.
   2. Put her name on the standby list for the next departure so that she has a chance of getting away this evening while she works out how to pay for a new ticket.
   3. Tell her that if she writes to the airline explaining what happened they will very probably refund the ticket, so that she leaves the desk with something to hold on to.
   4. Tell her plainly what the fare rules mean, then check what her booking does still allow and what the cheapest way onto a later flight would be, and give her the real figures.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Tell her plainly what the fare rules mean, then check what her booking does still allow and what the cheapest way onto a later flight would be, and give her the real figures.

   Least effective: C. Tell her that if she writes to the airline explaining what happened they will very probably refund the ticket, so that she leaves the desk with something to hold on to.

   A: Stops at the rule: the position is stated correctly and no further look is taken at fares, later services or anything her booking might still allow.

   B: Acts before checking what her booking allows: a place on the standby list may not be open to her fare at all, and she waits at the airport on a hope nobody has verified.

   C: Sends her away with a false hope: nothing you know supports that promise, and she will make her plans around a refund that is unlikely to come.

   The most effective response is to tell her plainly what the fare rules mean, then check what her booking does still allow and what the cheapest way onto a later flight would be: the rule is not negotiable and saying so is honest, but what her booking still permits and what the cheapest onward fare is are both things she cannot look up and you can. It beats explaining that a missed departure voids the ticket and leaving her to decide, because stating the rule and stopping leaves her with no idea what is actually possible. It beats putting her name on the standby list for the next departure, because a standby place her fare may not allow leaves her waiting on something nobody has checked. The least effective response is telling her the airline will very probably refund if she writes in: it invents a likely refund to soften the moment, and she will plan around money that is not coming. That is worse than stating the rule, which is unhelpful but true, and worse than the standby list, which is at least trying something. The principle: be straight about what cannot be done, then spend your effort finding what can.

8. Question 8 of 10

   You are a ramp agent on the early shift. You have noticed that the baggage trolleys are left at the far stands overnight, so the first turnaround of every morning loses about ten minutes fetching them, and it has been that way for months. Nobody has raised it and it is not part of your job. Your shift ends in twenty minutes. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Write down the mornings you have seen it happen and the time it costs, and take that to the ramp supervisor with a suggestion for where the trolleys should be left at night.
   2. Bring the trolleys back to the near stands yourself at the end of each shift from now on, so that the first turnaround of the morning has them where they are needed.
   3. Tell the early shift coming on that fetching the trolleys is part of their morning, and leave them to raise it with the supervisor if it bothers them enough.
   4. Mention it to whoever is taking over from you on the next shift, so that the point gets passed along the shifts until it reaches somebody who can change where trolleys are parked.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: A. Write down the mornings you have seen it happen and the time it costs, and take that to the ramp supervisor with a suggestion for where the trolleys should be left at night.

   Least effective: C. Tell the early shift coming on that fetching the trolleys is part of their morning, and leave them to raise it with the supervisor if it bothers them enough.

   B: Fixes it personally rather than properly: the ten minutes come back only on the mornings after you have worked, and the arrangement disappears the day you are on leave.

   C: Passes it to the people it costs: the ten minutes stay exactly where they are, and the man holding the evidence has handed the job of complaining to whoever suffers most from it.

   D: Relies on the message travelling: a remark handed from shift to shift loses the detail that makes it convincing, and nobody along the way owns getting it to the supervisor.

   The most effective response is to write down the mornings you have seen it happen and the time it costs, and take that to the ramp supervisor with a suggestion for where the trolleys should be left: what makes this worth acting on is that you can show it happens repeatedly and what it costs, and he is the person who can move where they are parked. It beats bringing the trolleys back to the near stands yourself at the end of each shift, because that buys the ten minutes back only on your own mornings, and stops the moment you are away. It beats mentioning it to whoever takes over from you so the point gets passed along the shifts, because a remark travelling that way arrives without the evidence and without anyone responsible for delivering it. The least effective response is telling the early shift that fetching the trolleys is part of their morning: it hands both the problem and the job of raising it to the shift that pays for it, while the person who measured the cost keeps the evidence to himself. That is worse than moving them yourself, which fixes it partially, and worse than passing the message along, which at least sets it moving. The principle: when you are the one who has seen the pattern, take it with evidence to whoever can change it, rather than working around it or assuming it is known.

9. Question 9 of 10

   You are a crewing assistant. Two colleagues on your small team fell out over who would cover the Christmas duties and have stopped speaking to each other. Both now send everything through you, and rosters that used to take minutes are taking half a day because nothing passes directly between them. Neither has asked you to do anything about it. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Carry on relaying between them for the time being, since the work is still getting done and the disagreement may well settle itself once Christmas is out of the way.
   2. Tell each of them that you cannot keep passing messages, and ask the two to sit down with you to agree how roster work will move between them from now on.
   3. Explain the situation to the team leader and ask her to deal with the pair of them, since a fallout of this size is a management matter rather than something for a colleague.
   4. Tell each of them privately what the other has been saying about the Christmas duties, so that both understand how the other sees it and can decide what to do next.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Tell each of them that you cannot keep passing messages, and ask the two to sit down with you to agree how roster work will move between them from now on.

   Least effective: D. Tell each of them privately what the other has been saying about the Christmas duties, so that both understand how the other sees it and can decide what to do next.

   A: Prioritises calm over the problem: the arrangement that keeps the peace is the same one costing half a day per roster, and it gets more entrenched the longer it is the way things are done.

   C: Escalates before trying: the two have never actually been asked to work together again, and starting with the team leader makes a formal problem out of one conversation that has not been had.

   D: Carries private remarks between them: it takes things said to you in confidence and puts them in front of the person they were about, which hardens the fallout instead of ending it.

   The most effective response is to tell each of them you cannot keep passing messages, and ask the two to sit down with you to agree how roster work will move between them: you are the only thing holding the arrangement together, so withdrawing from the middle is what forces the question, and offering to host makes that a step forward rather than a refusal. It beats carrying on relaying between them until Christmas is out of the way, because that keeps the work moving at half a day a roster and lets the arrangement harden. It beats explaining the situation to the team leader and asking her to deal with the pair of them, because nobody has yet asked the two to deal with each other, and going to her first turns a conversation into a case. The least effective response is telling each of them privately what the other has been saying: it moves private remarks between two people who are already not speaking, which is the one action that makes the fallout worse. That is worse than relaying, which changes nothing, and worse than the team leader, which at least seeks a resolution. The principle: stop being the channel, bring them together yourself first, and never carry what was said in confidence.

10. Question 10 of 10

    You are a baggage services agent. A colleague at the next desk snaps at you in front of two waiting passengers because you took the shared label printer while she was part way through using it. It was a genuine mix-up and she is normally perfectly pleasant. The passengers noticed, and there are four hours of the shift left. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

    1. Let it go at the desk, carry on serving your passenger, and ask her a little later whether everything is all right and sort out the printer between you.
    2. Answer her at the desk to make clear that the printer was free when you took it, so the passengers watching do not think you had done anything careless.
    3. Say nothing to her for the rest of the shift and pass anything you need through the agent on the other side, so that there is no chance of a second exchange.
    4. Let the team leader know how she spoke to you in front of passengers, so that it is on record and can be raised with her if it happens again.
    Show the answer

    Most effective: A. Let it go at the desk, carry on serving your passenger, and ask her a little later whether everything is all right and sort out the printer between you.

    Least effective: C. Say nothing to her for the rest of the shift and pass anything you need through the agent on the other side, so that there is no chance of a second exchange.

    B: Continues it in front of the customers: the passengers now watch two agents disagree about a printer, and whoever is right, the desks look worse than it did a moment ago.

    C: Turns a moment into four hours: a colleague who was short with you once is frozen out for the rest of the shift, and everybody on the desks has to work around it.

    D: Formalises a moment of irritation: nothing has yet been said between the two of you, and she learns that a snapped remark went to the team leader before it came to her.

    The most effective response is to let it go at the desk, carry on serving your passenger, and ask her a little later whether everything is all right: the passengers are the reason not to have it out at the desk, the mix-up is trivial, and a quiet word later settles both the printer and whatever was behind the tone. It beats letting the team leader know how she spoke to you in front of passengers, because he hears about it before she does, over something neither of you has discussed. It beats answering her at the desk to make clear the printer was free when you took it, because carrying on in front of the customers makes the desks look worse whoever turns out to be right. The least effective response is saying nothing to her for the rest of the shift and passing everything through the other agent: it answers one sharp remark with four hours of silence, which everyone on the desks has to work around. That is worse than answering back, which is over quickly, and worse than telling the team leader, which at least seeks a resolution. The principle: do not settle it in front of customers, and deal with it directly and soon rather than by withdrawing.